Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Dear Laura by Gemma Amor

6 reviews

killmoore_'s review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really enjoyed Dear Laura, but to get to that point I had to stop thinking about it. There are a few painfully ignored questions that caused my review to drop drastically (why did he get in the car?!) and the ending fell a bit flat fo  me personally, but I loved the world that Gemma creates for her reader. Forever grateful that as a 30+ year old woman, I couldn't care any less about what's going on with my boyfriend of 20 years ago. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Mental illness, Child death, Grief, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Vomit

hmn54437's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book set itself up to have a sick twist but instead was just exactly what i expected it to be. I appreciate it for its realness and the fact that it doesn’t hold back from the horror of real life, but the way some of the reveals were set up just made it seem like the author had plans for a big twist that never came. 

It also left so much unanswered which is understandable for a short horror, but I almost wish this could’ve been a full novel instead of just a novella so that I could’ve gotten to know Bobby, Laura, and X more as characters. I think the novella format was not what this story needed. 

I enjoyed it but I was just left with questions and the desire for more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

chloseencounter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a short read that was very eerie and effective, it definitely gave me the absolute creeps (but I also made the mistake of reading this all in the middle of the night in the dark). My only complaint is I didn’t think the ending was entirely satisfying but it wasn’t bad either. 

When I first finished the story I felt  like it was super scary but after sitting on it for a few days it’s left less of a lasting impact on me than I would’ve thought initially. Either way this book still accomplishes a lot for how short it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Pedophilia, Stalking, and Gun violence

Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, and Grief

Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Alcohol, Mental illness, Sexual content, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders

jazgryph's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is often labeled as a horror novel, but it is more of a thriller/suspense kind of book. It did not really give me a scare like I had hoped for, but there were some parts that made me wince. Mild spoiler:

Overall, the story was pretty sad and you will feel bad for Laura, and perhaps a bit angry with the way she went about certain things, but the ending was bittersweet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, and Stalking

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse

Minor: Drug abuse

Look over the content warnings I listed. If you are someone who does not like reading about things like pedophilia, stalking, etc. then this book may make you uncomfortable, so it may be in your best interest not to read it.

horizonous's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Stalking

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, and Violence

Minor: Pedophilia

◦ Body horror = Injury
◦ Death = Friend
◦ Drug abuse = Marijuana
◦ Mental illness = Anxiety, depression

vvitch's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Mental illness